Houston, a team capable of playing with anyone in the state, started off fast against the Mariners taking 19 shots in the first period to the Mariner's one.
Coach Elliot Jackson said the Mariners were nervous at the outset.
"The kids kind of stood around and watched them play in the first," Jackson said.
But the team put together a couple of periods of good play and showed marked improvement over years past. The Mariners out-shot Houston 16-8 in the third and Taber Webb scored the lone Mariner goal on a Max Drathman assist. Houston eventually won 6-1.
Jackson said the Mariners learned they could skate with Houston.
"It was a good learning experience," Jackson said.
Freshman goalie Ben Miller saved 33 shots.
Houston was coming off a tie with Kenai Central on Thursday and sported arguably one of the best players in the state, Wade Williams.
Williams scored a hat trick in each of the games against Homer.
On Saturday the Mariners played a great game for the first 20 minutes, Jackson said.
Houston scored one goal in the first and the game went scoreless until a burst in the second.
Houston scored seven goals on seven shots in the period to end Homer's chances for the upset.
Jackson said there were two Homer goals called bad in the first period. And the Mariners held their own until Houston's scoring frenzy.
Homer outshot Houston 30-27 in the second game, but Nate Miller scored the only goal for the Mariners who fell 9-1.
"Defensively, we have a bit to work on," Jackson said. "We have a great goalie but he's a freshman."
"(The team's current inexperience) will be a great thing in a couple of years."
Jackson said he was happy with the performance.
"It was a good experience from the get-go," he said. "Houston is really good, it's a good measuring tool (for us)."
"In years past a team like Houston would probably beat us 19-0," Jackson said. "9-1 is actually an improvement."
Ben Stuart can be reached at bstuart@homernews.com
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